Wednesday, April 23, 2008

An 18-year-old man was stabbed several times Tuesday night in front of the Pennywise Market in an attack Santa Barbara Police officials say was gang related.A police spokesman said the victim’s injuries did not appear to be serious and when authorities arrived on the scene, the man was conscious but uncooperative. The victim called 911 from a payphone next to the market, which is located at 1121 E. Montecito St.

“He was very vague about what happened,” Sgt. Lorenzo Duarte said. “He didn’t give any specifics as to who and why.”A witness told police the victim was chased by four people east on Montecito Street and was caught in front of the market. Duarte said the suspects fled in a vehicle, but would not reveal the make and model due to the ongoing investigation.Duarte said he wasn’t surprised about the location of the attack, since the area is a regular hangout for gang members.Sgt. Noel Rivas, who responded to the scene, said the victim suffered from a number of wounds, including a laceration above the right eye that was bleeding profusely.

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I suggest we dot the area with IP-based surveillance cameras and brighter street lighting...we can cut the crap about who saw who do what to whom by having the video evidence--and the obvious deterrent it portends--to immediately apprehend and prosecute offenders.

I have asked this question previously to City leaders and even had it posted on Blogabarbara: why is it that, 1) the liquor stores seem to be located primarily on the East and West Sides in the Latino neighorhoods, and 2) the City doesn't seem to be prepared to do anything about that?

Obviously, and this report is one anecdote to add to the list of many similar stories, there is an issue when you have so many liquor stores and 'markets' located within a 5 minute walk of Santa Barbara's Latino and working-class neighborhoods. The environment created by the presence of so much alcohol is indeed a problem.

However, though the City is willing to regulate marijuana dispensaries, it seems at best apathetic when it comes to a drug-- it is true that alcohol is a drug and controlled substance-- that kills more, harms more, and is all too cheap and available to residents young and old. Such disjointed policy is confusing, and makes one wonder if indeed the environment around State Street is more important to the City than the environment in any of the neighborhoods-- because State Street is where the tourists and the money are.

Read below for my commentary, and note that this was also sent as an email to the City Council weeks before it appeared online: